Miniature Vacuum and Diaphragm Pump Performance is Enhanced by Advanced Brushless Motors and Materials

Hargraves Technology, www.hargravesfluidics.com, a global leader in advanced fluidic technologies and system solutions, has achieved breakthrough advances in brushless DC motors and diaphragm elastomer materials. The Hargraves Air and Gas Miniature Diaphragm Pumps and Vacuum Pumps and Liquid Miniature Diaphragm Pumps and Liquid Vacuum Pumps offer a series of brushless DC motor driven miniature air pumps, miniature vacuum pumps and micro compressors to handle air, gas and liquid applications. The Hargraves innovative designs and advanced fluidic technologies offer the highest performance in the smallest package size available. These diaphragm pump series use a proprietary advanced diaphragm elastomer (AEPDM) and superior brushless motor design to set the highest benchmark for service-free miniature diaphragm pump operation that exceeds 20,000 hours.

Advanced brushless dc motor technology
Brushless DC Motors (BLDC) developed by Hargraves specifically for miniature diaphragm air pumps, micro diaphragm vacuum pumps and liquid diaphragm pumps have been designed to endure long life applications to achieve high reliability and performance under challenging operational loads. The Hargraves engineering team took the initiative to improve standard motor designs and manufacturing processes to optimize efficiencies and endurance. Both a "short stack" and "long stack" configurations were produced for different torque requirements. The Long Stack brushless DC motor, for instance, consists of magnets and windings that are twice the length and is used for exceptionally high load applications.

Brushless motors, as the name implies, do not use brushes for commutation. Instead, they are electronically commutated. The stator consists of stacked steel laminations that are axially cut along the inner periphery. Numerous coils are interconnected to form each winding. An even number of magnetic poles are produced from each of these windings that are distributed over the stator periphery. The rotor is a permanent magnet with alternating magnetic poles built in.

To rotate a DC motor, the windings need to be energized in sequence. The position of the rotor will determine which winding will need to be energized. Unlike brush motors that commutate by mechanical switching, brushless motors position using an electronic sensorless method or by utilizing Hall effect sensors. These sensors are embedded on the stationary part of the motor and monitor the exact position on the rotor’s position. As the rotor’s magnetic poles rotate near the Hall effect sensors, they give a high or low signal that signifies a north or south pole is passing near the sensors. The exact sequence of commutation can be determined from the combination of the three signals the sensors are reading. Each commutation sequence has current entering one of the windings resulting in positive magnetic flow, current exiting a second winding resulting in a negative magnetic flow, and a third winding that would be non-energized. The direction of the magnetic flow would affect the winding’s polarity. The interaction of these changing poles of the magnetic field between the stator and the permanent motor produces the torque that turns the motor’s shaft.

As the requirements for miniature diaphragm pumps to fit in even smaller package envelopes, the motors powering these systems have had to become smaller. These smaller brushless motor sizes will most likely use sensorless commutation methods since Hall effect sensors take up more space. It should be noted that sensorless motors are limited to the initial startup torque they can produce. Brushless DC motor applications that require restarts under a high load will need to utilize Hall effect sensors with an instant start capability. Therefore, to achieve very small motor size, there may need to be a tradeoff on restart capabilities.

Advanced Elastomer Material
Current diaphragm elastomers are limited to only a few thousand hours since they are unable to withstand the increased temperatures and demanding mechanical stresses. As a result, it is common for diaphragm pump manufacturers to require replacement kits to extend life. The proven track of 'service free' performance reduces the overall costs for an OEM's product. The innovative and efficient engineering design enables the Hargraves series of micro and miniature diaphragm pumps and compressors to push the performance envelope in a lightweight, compact size achieving the highest performance/size ratio of current technology miniature diaphragm pumps and compressors. The selection of advanced materials and innovative elastomer diaphragm geometries facilitates the Hargraves miniature diaphragm pumps to operate in increased temperature environments up to 70°C and withstand increased mechanical stresses. The optimized pump head, chamber and flow path reduce noise without compromising performance.

About Hargraves
Hargraves, www.hargravesfluidics.com, is a global leader of advanced miniature fluidic delivery and control solutions. Their focus is on technical innovation to provide “best products” that exhibit superior benefits and value to their customers. Their high quality miniature air and liquid diaphragm pumps, vacuum pumps and miniature pneumatic solenoid valves are found in a wide range of challenging application environments including medical, analytical instrumentation, clinical chemistry, fuel cell, and digital printing systems.